>    To learn how to start software and program a chip to
> flash LEDs newbie doesn't need 16F877A, I think.

No, but a bunch of extra pins and a large code space means that adding
debug code and flashing extra LEDs for debugging (assuming the project
does something more complicated than flashing one LED) might come in
handy. Whether this warrants a 40-pin chip can be a point of discussion,
the 16F72 certainly gives a lot of pins for its money.

>    To a newbie it's OK to burn out cheapest chip first,
> compatible with more powerful.

I think I only ever burned 2 chips in total, but I know guys how have a
much higher score! As for cheapest: IMHO the 12F629 has too few pins to
be easy for a newbie, so that would be the 16F630. But then the 16F72 is
not much deared and has much more pins...

>    Extra (compared to 16F628) pins could be easily sacrificed
> to LVP ICSP. (Newbie really needs it, I think)

I disagree, but that is a completely different discussion!

Wouter van Ooijen

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Van Ooijen Technische Informatica: www.voti.nl
consultancy, development, PICmicro products

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